Posted by Austin, Little Rock on 8/20/2009, 1:47 pm, in reply to "Camellias and Gardenias in Arkansas"
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I'm glad you like the photo. Yes, the fruit of musa velutina is very, very pink. They make a great conversation piece too. Getting them to flower is very easy. If you want some seeds, I can send you some in a couple months when they ripen. I wouldn't buy any...just get them from me. 
The bananas have so many seeds that eating them is almost impossible. That being said, I did manage to eat the end of one, and it tasted very sweet kind of like the mini bananas you can sometimes find in the grocery store.
The cactus in the pot is indeed an Echinocereus. It is very cold hardy surviving 20*F in a pot. I got it from amazinggardens.com.
I can't remember what type of fern I have in the back row. Sorry about that. I bought it locally.
Yes, there are many gardenias growing in southern Arkansas, but not so many around here. They are hardy though and will grow well here through the winter. I don't know why they aren't planted more.
As for the camellias, they are everywhere in the older houses of Little Rock. I suppose they were very popular about 30 years ago in this area. There are many huge, beautiful camellias that bloom throughout the winter. I love driving around and looking at them. You just don't see camellias in the newer suburbs where I live.
Enjoy the rest of the growing season!
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